Video shows San Francisco smash-and-snatch thieves go on spree of systematic thefts from vehicles

Viral video captured the moment a team of thieves executed a spree of systematic smash-and-sntach thefts from vehicles in San Francisco, California.

Brazen Bay area burglars boldly began a barrage of break-ins during broad daylight despite bystanders nearby. The systematic smash-and-grab robberies were caught on video by a car following the mobile crime spree.

Video shows a white Lexus sedan pulling next to parked cars in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf tourist area. A man wearing a black ski mask is seen getting out of the Lexus, then peering into the windows of parked cars to see if there are any valuables. If the thief saw something of interest, he would bust open the window and steal the valuables. Then the Lexus is off to the next vehicle to burglarize.

Since it is a tourist area, the thief is seen stealing bags and luggage likely belonging to travelers visiting the area.

KTVU crime reporter Henry K. Lee wrote on Twitter, "These guys in Lexus bipped cars all over SF’s Fisherman’s Wharf, one by one."

Lee noted that one of the cars that was burglarized "actually had someone sitting in the back seat of the blue SUV," adding that the person in the vehicle screamed as the robbery took place.

The San Francisco Standard defines bipping as: "That's slang for breaking into a car and looting it of any valuables — which, if the car owner is lucky, they might see again being resold on a street corner."

San Francisco Police Lt.Tracy McCray told the New York Post, "It's called 'bipping and boosting.' It really exploded during the pandemic so much so that someone told me that the sidewalks are glistening and sparkling [with glass from windows] where cars are broken into left and right."

In the past 30 days, robberies have jumped 26% compared to the previous year, according to data tracked by the San Francisco Police Department.

There have been nearly 1,670 car break-ins in the past 30 days in San Francisco, according to police statistics. So far this year, there have been almost 10,000 thefts from vehicles in San Francisco.

Tourist areas such as North Beach, Japantown, and Presidio have the highest rate of car break-ins per 10,000 residents.

As TheBlaze reported last week, some federal employees working at the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco were instructed to work from home "for the foreseeable future" because of the city's concerning crime crisis.

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